BOSTON - Power forward Alex Oriakhi grabbed the ball just outside the 3-point line, took a shot, and missed. He grabbed his own rebound, moved back behind the line, and missed again. The third time he took the shot, he sent it through the net and walked off the court pleased with the result.

The shot was the only thing that could get the UConn commit off the court at Wednesday's New England Elite 75 Showcase at the Case Gymnasium at Boston University. The event, which began with drills at 10 a.m. before breaking up into games at around 11:30 a.m., featured the top 75 players in New England and was dominated by Oriakhi, fellow UConn commit Jamal Coombs and a handful of other players who have already committed to local colleges.

For Oriakhi, who played two of the four games, the all-star game and a contest against regional college players, the competition was not about getting his name out there - after all, the 6-foot-8 junior, ranked the No. 51 player in the Class of 2009 and the No. 17 power forward, committed to the Huskies, along with Coombs, in August 2006. But for players like Class of 2010 big man Nate Lubick, it was a chance to show off to other players and makes waves as one of the top sophomores in the country.